Lafayette Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana | Expedia Lafayette Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana | Expedia Lafayette Cemetery Lafayette Cemetery, current page Previous image, 11 total items. Next image, 11 total items. Lafayette Cemetery History lessons and photographic opportunities abound in this famous cemetery, a final resting place for New Orleans residents since 1833. Covering a block in the Gardens District of New Orleans, a National Historic Landmark District, the cemetery's grid-like layout mirrors the layout of the surrounding city. The cemetery took its name from the original settlement of Lafayette, which over time was annexed by the booming city of New Orleans. Lafayette Cemetery No. 2 began in 1850 and is located just north of here. Walk through the gates of the cemetery and slip back in time. Two avenues form a neat cross through the graveyard, making it easy to navigate. Wander through the rows of tombs and crypts. Their epitaphs trace the city’s history, from its Creole beginnings, through periods of plague and war. Just like New Orleans, this non-denominational cemetery is a true melting pot; the remains of immigrants from over 25 countries are buried here.

The cemetery features various types of graves, from the simple “ovens,” or wall vaults, which line the perimeters, to family tombs and group memorials. Keep an eye out for the monument to the deceased “woodmen of the world,” and the shared crypt of the city’s “destitute orphan boys.” Interestingly, this is regarded as one of the most haunted burial grounds in the United States. Make sure you take your camera; you may photograph more than you planned on. Over the decades visitors have reported sightings of ghostly figures, feeling cold spots and hearing strange scraping sounds amongst the tombs. Little wonder gothic fiction author Anne Rice has used the cemetery as a setting for several of her novels. Be careful where you step as subsidence over the years has caused some of the monuments to sink, while others have been dislodged by the roots of ancient trees, giving the cemetery an eerie feel. The grounds have appeared in a number of films, including Interview with the Vampire and Double Jeopardy. Lafayette Cemetery is lovingly maintained by the Save Our Cemeteries Group, which runs informative one-hour tours from Mondays to Saturdays. The cemetery is open every day except Sunday. The St.

Charles streetcar stops close by, and if you still have an appetite after your visit, one of the city’s most popular restaurants, Commander's Palace, is right across the road. Explore More of New Orleans Jazz | Louisiana Travel Jazz Jazz Jazz was born in New Orleans. Congo Square, to be precise. This public square was one of the only places in America where slaves were allowed to gather and play drums. They did so on "free Sundays," where the sharing of African rhythms and dance kept their ancestral tradition alive until, as it happened, it would become the very rhythm of American popular culture. The Music Jazz is the music that erupted when African (and Afro-Caribbean) and European traditions converged in America, and nowhere was that mix more potent than in New Orleans. By the start of the 19th century, the sounds of opera, brassy military parades, church music and street performances could all be heard in the city. And since music was part of every aspect of social life in New Orleans—including Carnival, debutante balls, vaudeville, Storyville parlors, and even funerals—the port city proved fertile ground for the evolution of this young art form. Read more...

1 h2g2 - How New Orleans Became the Birthplace of Jazz - Edited Entry To The Galaxy Earth Edition How New Orleans Became the Birthplace of Jazz Content from the guide to life, the universe and everything How New Orleans Became the Birthplace of Jazz Created 0 Conversations …New Orleans jazz represents a spiritual musicalization of life. It’s everything in life brought into music. At the time it was created, it was a result of what was existing in the lives of African-Americans in the post-Reconstructionist period. It expresses all the joys, hopes, desires and you can hear all of that in the music. You hear love, you hear sadness, you hear happiness, you hear anger, you hear escapism, you hear dancing, you hear beauty: all of the things that are in life. - Michael White New Orleans is undisputed as the birthplace of jazz music. But why New Orleans? What is it about this place that it spawned jazz, and not somewhere else? This question may not be fully answerable, but there are some significant clues in the social and musical histories of the Crescent City.

Although other cities maintained dynamic musical scenes, only New Orleans fostered an environment that allowed the right ingredients to come together within a few years at the dawn of the 20th Century. In this city, all the component cultural and musical parts came together at the right time in history to make the advent of jazz almost inevitable. This entry examines the social and musical aspects separately (though they are not easily disentangled from one another), and then gives a brief description of the New Orleans Jazz style. Nola's Social History Pre-Civil War New Orleans’ social history is incredibly complex and convoluted with many successive cultural layerings dating from its founding by the French in 1718. The city was then passed on to the Spanish, then back to the French before being sold to America in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which caused another group to enter. These were the Americans: English speakers with many ethnic and religious backgrounds. The locals brought in slaves from all over to work on their plantations, and despite the laws against it, there was also an influx of free blacks from the uprisings in Haiti in 1771.

This created a lower-class grouping of blacks, viewed by whites as one large group (though the blacks themselves made quite a distinction between free black and slave). Though slaves had few freedoms, an essential aspect of Pre-Civil War New Orleans slaves was 'Congo Square', a gathering place for the slaves while their masters were away at church on Sundays. Here, slaves could dance and sing their traditional African songs. These weekly dances were legalized in 1819, to keep the slaves peaceful, as it allowed them to vent their energy. Many white slave owners of the time 'took advantage' of their black slaves, creating a new ethnic class, the Creoles. Though interracial marriage was forbidden, white men began increasingly to take Creole mistresses, as the number of Creole women exceeded the number of white women available. These mistresses were taken with the permission of the girl’s mother, who made sure that the children resulting from this union would be taken care of. This created a middle-class of coloured Creoles. They spoke French, and were predominantly Catholic . These Creoles did not face the same segregation and discrimination as even free blacks. One interesting aspect of Crescent City’s racial relations before the Civil War is the 'backyard' housing pattern.

In this model, the blacks and whites lived very close together: slaves living with their masters and the free blacks interspersed throughout. This was done to keep an eye on the blacks of the community, but the interracial housing pattern often led to a disregard of the colour line in such activities as drinking, eating, and gambling. New Orleans ended up with a very interesting and different racial scene than many other American cities at the time. New Orleans has historically had a reputation of maintaining liberal race relations. Supposedly, the close residential proximity of Creoles, Americans, and slaves, enforced by limited land area, contributed to a high tolerance for racial and ethnic differences. It was not until the mid-19th Century that housing began to be separated by race, dividing it into black neighbourhoods and white neighbourhoods. Apart from the racial relations, the ethnic relations were also very different. The Americans who had entered after the Louisiana Purchase defied the French culture of the rest of the city, keeping themselves separate. Most of them had been Southerners already, and though, in the French culture of the city, the Creoles were the middle class, the Americans considered all people of mixed blood to be sub-human and slaves.

This led to tension, as well as financial competition between the two ethnicities. By the 1830s, the city had divided into three municipalities: one for the Americans, one for the Creoles, and one for the immigrant farmers. They were so separated that people from one side rarely trespassed into the others. Each of these sectors even had its own currency. Post-Civil War The Reconstruction, after the Civil War, brought many changes for the black community. With the Northern troops occupying the city, new legislation allowed blacks to vote. This led to rapid desegregation. Although they were not able to gain full equality, the black community did enjoy many new freedoms until 1877, when the troops withdrew and white Southerners took control again. When the Southern Democrats did take control, they immediately imposed many 'Jim Crow Laws.' 1 'Jim Crow' came to personify the system of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States and severely restricted black people.

The racial, social, and class confusion spawned by the events of the late 1890s and early 1900s inherently altered the structure of the city, a situation that would have a major impact on the evolution of jazz music. Jim Crow, also known as the Code Noir, severely repressed the African-American community, controlling everything from ownership of weapons, to marriage and religious practices. While New Orleans seemed relatively peaceful compared to other cities in this period, the racial tension was high. These laws not only affected the black former slaves, but the mixed-blood Creoles as well. The Code Noir affected anyone with the slightest 'taint' of African blood in them. By the early 20th Century, the unique middle caste of black Creoles disappeared, as the city narrowed the definition of race down to the two categories of black and white. The Creoles, however, considered themselves very different from the blacks, and remained aloof from them. This is not surprising; the Creoles had enjoyed a privileged lifestyle, and were now being cast down into the lower class with freed slaves of a different language, religion, and culture, solely based on the colour of their skin.

Upon this shore of social and racial upheaval, the wave of jazz broke. The social history of New Orleans and the musical history of jazz are long, twisting, and inextricably linked. As these cultures cooperated and clashed, the consciousness of Crescent City’s inhabitants changed, and with these changes came the new sounds of music trying to encompass these new things through collaboration and reinvention. Musical History Jazz began 2 with the opening of Storyville, New Orleans’ famous red-light district. Its roots, however, run further back, and, like the roots of a marigold, are tangled, and draw sustenance from many different sources. 3 . Though the roots of jazz are difficult to trace, perhaps the best place to begin a discussion about it is with Congo Square. As mentioned earlier, this was a weekly meeting place where the slaves would gather to sing and dance while their masters were at church. These songs and dances were decidedly African. After emancipation, this African music wasn’t restricted to once a week in Congo Square. 'Black' music had two definite styles. The first was the Creole style, the second, the freed black.

Creoles played classics, opera, mazurkas and quadrilles while uptowners, playing by sight, improvised in a rough and robust style. Also, the Creole tradition centered heavily on the clarinet , a traditionally French instrument, which went on to form the 'first line,' the backbone of the New Orleans jazz band, while the black music was more percussive. When Jim Crow took effect, these two styles experienced a sort of forced merging. As the Creoles were forced into lower class positions, many financial opportunities withered, and Creole teachers began to take on black students. From this merging and a number of other cultural and social influences, the blues were born . The Blues The blues is an African-American invention. It closely resembles the spirituals and working songs of the African slaves, but there is a major difference; the spirituals were originally sung a capella while blues is sung against a musical background. The spirituals promise better times to come, while blues are bound to this troubled earth.

It is not, however, an African invention; that is to say, the blues does not come to us directly from Africa, it is, like jazz after it, a combination of the African traditions and the musical traditions of the people around whom the blacks were living. The theme of the blues is indicated in its name. Since the Elizabethan era, the word 'blue' has meant a sort of melancholy or depression . Washington Irving 4 is credited with coining the term 'the blues' in 1807. Early blues songs were the songs of the extreme privations of slavery. The blues truly emerged as a separate musical form after the Reconstruction period, during that time of extreme segregation and repression of African-Americans. It was sung mostly by musically (and often generally) illiterate musicians, and as such was largely dependent on improvisation, though not to the extent of the jazz music to come. The blues consisted of 12 bars , separated into three lines. The singer would repeat the lyrics for the first two lines, then improvise his own for the third.

This first repeated line is called a 'burden,' a fitting term for an element of blues music, though it actually originates from the archaic word 'burthen,' meaning 'chorus.' WC Handy made the blues popular as a musical style. He 'discovered' the blues during a stay in St. Louis , and when he came back to New Orleans, he made it famous. There is some argument about what kind of music Handy actually played. Though he is widely regarded as the 'Father of the blues', many sources place his music in the category of ragtime . Regardless, he certainly took much of his inspiration from the blues. He was one of the first ever to write them down into sheet music, and is credited with making the blues popular throughout the States . Ragtime The second major musical influence in jazz is ragtime, which has been traced as far back as 1880, originating in Missouri . Ragtime is piano music that is composed . Though improvisations and variations on ragtime tunes became popular with the advent of jazz, ragtime is very formal, and the composition is important. Ragtime music started out as a combination of banjo music and marches.

The right hand would play the syncopated melody, an imitation of a banjo sound, and the left hand would play a steady march beat, usually in 2/4. It was the transformation of a style of folk performance into a ‘classical’ form of composed music. An important aspect of ragtime that separates it from other forms of composed piano music is the 'swing' rhythm. The name Ragtime, in fact, means 'ragged time,' referring to the syncopated rhythm. Ragtime reflects the 19th Century. Everything relevant to that time can be found in it - from Schubert, Chopin, and, most of all, Liszt, to marches and polkas - all recast in the black rhythmic conception and dynamic way of playing. Thus, ragtime can simply be defined as 'white music played black'. The first popular composer of ragtime music was Scott Joplin, but the most famous is 'Jelly Roll' Morton . He added a rolling bass line, a slower but more forceful rhythm in the character of a stomp, and began to approach a jazz feeling. 'I invented jazz in 1902,', self-aggrandizer Morton claimed.

This is not exactly true; Jelly Roll’s music was not wholly ragtime, as it incorporated elements of the blues and some other musical influences, but it certainly was not jazz. The music that Jelly Roll Morton played is closer to ragtime than anything else. Storyville Although he certainly did not invent jazz, Morton was right on the scene for the opening of Storyville in 1897 by city ordinance. Storyville is Crescent City’s fabled red-light district. The city ordinance that created it specifically prohibited prostitution outside of that section of the city, though prostitution was technically not legal inside Storyville, either. The police overlooked the vice in that area, believing that it was keeping prostitution out of the rest of the city. The opening of Storyville is hailed as the most influential event in the invention of jazz. In the mingling of the many ethnic and musical strains in New Orleans, which occurred almost automatically in the laissez-faire climate of Storyville, New Orleans Style was born. The establishments in Storyville were not just centres for vice, they were a form of nightclub. Many of these brothels served liquor and booze , and larger establishments would have a musician or a band.

It was this opening-up of the job market that brought all sorts of musicians together, especially joining ragtime pianists with musicians from a more folksy blues background. Here musicians could hear and learn from each other and play together, merging their styles into a new thing: New Orleans jazz. What Is It? New Orleans jazz differed from what had come before it, but it, too, was recognizably a product of its component parts. A very simplified definition of early New Orleans jazz is that it would take old ragtime songs and improvise variations on them, using the swing syncopation of the ragtime and a blues scale (which is partway between a major and a minor scale, with different flats and sharps). The 'first line', the heart of the jazz band, consists of the Creole/French clarinet, the cornet, and the trombone . The lead is taken by the brilliant sound of the cornet, effectively contrasted by the heavy, weighty trombone. The clarinet entwines the two brasses in an intricate pattern of melodic lines.

The rest of the band may consist of any of the following 'rhythm' instruments: piano, bass, drums, banjo, guitar, and/or tuba. The soul of jazz is improvisation, and the soul of New Orleans jazz is the collective improvisation of the whole band, based on variations of the original tune or on the simple chords that accompanied it. A few interesting techniques developed in this early jazz for the playing of the instruments. Musicians began to make their instruments 'talk', attempting to imitate the sounds of the human voice. The advent of jazz was also the advent of muting, the growl, the shake, bending (or lipping), glissando, and fluttering. Muting is changing the sound of an instrument by blocking the sound with objects of different shapes and materials. The growl occurs when a musician blows and hums into his instrument at the same time. The shake is an exaggeration of the simple vibrato using the hand or movements of the jaw. Bending, also known as lipping, controls the pitch by adjusting the stiffness of the ambiture. Glissando, gliss for short, is a slide from one pitch to another.

Rather than playing one note, then another, a gliss allows one note to merge gradually with the next note. Fluttering occurs when the musician vibrates his tongue against the roof of his mouth (as when one rolls an r). These new techniques further separated jazz music from its predecessors, creating a truly unique style of music. 1 The 'Jim Crow' laws were so called after a popular 19th-century minstrel song that stereotyped African Americans. 2 As much as any kind of music can have a 'beginning'. 3 This entry attempts to simplify things and create a flow that is easily understood, but the history of jazz is more complicated than it is represented here. 4 Washington Irving (1783–1859) was named after General George Washington. He is best known for creating Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The hit book made Irving the first American author to gain real fame in Europe. The World's Greatest Jazz Festivals: A Clash Guide | Live | Clash Magazine The World's Greatest Jazz Festivals: A Clash Guide Because when the pop stops, the jazz bops...

ClashMusic Copenhagen Jazz Festival - by Renç Clausen Nielsen Monterey Jazz Festival - courtesy of Cabrillo New Orleans Jazz Festival - courtesy of Louisiana Travel Valletta Castle, Malta ClashMusic / / 22 · 08 · 2013 0 Chances are you’ve been to a festival this summer. Music, mayhem, mirth... and mud, if you were unlucky (and if you like sloshing around in the slop, please, don’t come around ours for tea and biscuits). And chances are that it was one featuring Popular Rock Bands, and other such attractions: the sort of acts that make up much of Clash’s content, if we’re honest. But stray from the pop path, into jazz quarters, and the festival-attending punter is well served, too. While this summer’s season is nearly over, 2014 will see the same cycle commence once more. And with that in mind, we’ve turned attentions to five outstanding jazz festivals, profiling them below. Why? Because nobody really wants to watch Primal Scream play eight consecutive festivals, do they?

- - - There are plenty of festivals taking place around the world, attracting and uniting thousands of people through the power of jazz. From the scene’s birthplace in New Orleans, to the best European festivals that have jumped on the hype, read on for five of the world’s top jazz festivals… New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Louisiana, USA April – May New Orleans is considered the birthplace of jazz, due to the region’s unique combination of soul, blues, R&B, gospel, country, rap and ragtime music. The first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, also known as Jazz Fest, was held in 1970 when Mahalia Jackson, arguably the greatest gospel singer of all time, performed. Since then, legends like Billy Joel and Ellis Marsalis have graced stages at the colossal event, which attracts several thousands of music lovers each year – in 2001, 650,000 turned up. Over the years the festival has become bigger, better and far more eclectic in genres: Foo Fighters headlined in 2012.

There are 12 stages for attendees to choose from, featuring up-and-coming jazz musicians to pop-world heavyweights – clearly, there’s something for everyone at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. During your visit to New Orleans, be sure to explore the French Quarter and get your picture taken in front of the famous Mississippi. Top Tip: There are many food stalls catering to the thousands. Perhaps order the Cajun jambalaya or gumbo – a traditional New Orleans stew and rice dish. Both are delicious! - - - Montréal International Jazz Festival, Quebec, Canada June – July The Montréal International Jazz Festival has grown in size and popularity since its first incarnation in 1980. In 2004 it was named the biggest jazz festival in the world, with 700 concerts performed by 3,000 musicians over a 10-day period. The 2013 festival was opened by soulful saxophonist Charles Lloyd, accompanied by drummer Eric Harland, guitarist Bill Frisell and pianist Jason Moran. Big names to have performed in the past include Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and the legendary Ray Charles.

The best part of the festival is that the majority of the celebrations are free – so it’s no wonder that it attracts around two million jazz enthusiasts each year. Emotional and electric performances are held across a number of outdoor stages and indoor concert halls, such as the P.D.A. (Place des Arts). Music starts at noon and finishes at midnight, so be sure to cram in some sightseeing before the saxophones and skatting. Check out the Basilique Notre-Dame – a gothic catholic church with stunning stained glass windows and a 24 carat gold ceiling! Top Tip: Temperatures reach highs of just 22 degrees centigrade in June and July. Pleasant, but don’t forget to pack a jumper for the evening gigs. - - - Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Denmark July Copenhagen has been long regarded as a European jazz hub – and with huge names such as Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins and Thelonius Monk performing over the years since 1979, it’s easy to see why. The 10-day event completely overtakes the capital.

From free and intimate street performances to cafes and large concert halls, the soulful sound of deep bass notes and gibberish signing can be heard around the whole city, creating a great atmosphere. Festival goers can listen to top jazz names at the spectacular Royal Theatre and Copenhagen’s Opera House, as well as along the harbour front while swimming in the Danish sea. After a long day of jazz, head to Nyhavn, a vibrant, colourful port – the perfect place for dinner or beer on the quayside. Top Tip: Although concerts are held all over the city, try to steer clear of public transport – most of the big venues are accessible on foot and that way you get to see more of the wonderful city in-between gigs, and save money at the same time. - - - Malta Jazz Festival, Valletta, Malta July The beautiful baroque city Valletta on the Mediterranean island of Malta has hosted an open-air festival in and around the grounds of the Ta’ Liesse Church since 1990. Grammy-winner Robert Glasper performed at 2013’s festival – an experimental musician famous for combining jazz with hip-hop, R&B and rock to create a unique sound.

The three-day event has seen high-calibre performances from pianist Gerald Clayton and his trio, a powerful foot-tapping vocal performance from Gregory Porter and the Latin, classical and jazz-influenced Michel Camilo. The Valletta waterfront is a magnificent setting to enjoy such beautiful music; gaze out to sea as trumpets and piano keys provide the ideal soundtrack. Once the festival is over, make time to explore the historically rich city of Valletta, a World Heritage UNESCO site, built by the Knights of St John in the 16th and 17th centuries. The picture-perfect city is inundated with beautiful architecture, quirky cafes and bistro bars: a perfect spot to try Maltese cuisine. Top Tip: To escape the city for the day, take a trip from Valletta to Malta’s sister island, Gozo, to relax and unwind on its gorgeous beaches. The island really has so much to offer holidaymakers. - - - Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey, California, USA September The first Monterey Jazz Festival was held in 1958, making it the oldest jazz festival in the world.

Since its inception, big names from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday, to Louis Armstrong and Ernestine Anderson, have played at this Californian festival. It’s held across 20 acres of fields in the county fairgrounds, where there are over 500 artists performing on eight stages. George Benson, Diana Krall and Wayne Shorter are headlining the 2013 festival, along with many up-and-coming names. As well as a fantastic collection of jazz, blues and folk music, the three-day event (September 20th-22nd) also hosts workshops, exhibitions and talks for non-stop entertainment. It’s a not-for-profit festival with an aim to educate and nurture young jazz talent. The Taste Tent sells locally brewed beer and wine, as well as food served by Monterey restaurants – ideal for those needing to refuel between sets. Once the event is over, plan a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to gaze over sharks, otters, seahorses and jellyfish – the aquarium is regarded as one of the best in the world. Top Tip: Once you’re in, you’re in. The festival doesn’t offer re-admission so be sure to remember everything you need.

- - - Words: Faith Norris Faith is a travel writer for lowcostholidays.com who has been to many festivals home and abroad. Next on her ever-growing music festival list is the Monterey Jazz Festival, profiled above. Read more of her articles on the lowcostholidays blog . Birthplace of Jazz Birthplace of Jazz Branford Marsallis Harry Connick, Jr. In the late 19th century, while the rest of America was stomping their feet to military marches, and New Orleans was dancing to VooDoo rhythms. New Orleans was the only place in the New World where slaves were allowed to own drums. VooDoo rituals were openly tolerated, and well attended by the rich as well as the poor, by blacks and whites, by the influential and the anonymous. It was in New Orleans that the bright flash of European horns ran into the dark rumble of African drums; it was like lightning meeting thunder. The local cats took that sound and put it together with the music they heard in churches and the music they heard in barrooms, and they blew a new music, a wild, jubilant music. It made people feel free. It made people feel alive! It made people get up and dance.

And they danced to the birth of American music. And nobody played it like they played it in New Orleans, a city already used to feeling jubilant, and expressing its jubilation. A city where you could dance down the middle of the street, in the middle of the daytime, in the middle of the week, and instead of people wondering why you weren't at work, they'd be wondering how they could join you. The glory of New Orleans is that it's still that way today. Everyone loves a parade. Everything is touched by the joyous anarchy called New Orleans Jazz. And everybody's middle name is "Celebrate." Since it is now the 21st century, we think it's about time for the First City of Jazz to start celebrating the First Century of Jazz, and we'd like to start by inviting you. If you've never been to New Orleans, don't miss this one. If you've been to New Orleans, you know what we mean. It's perfectly clear where Jazz began, even the historians agree on that one. What is not so clear, however, is when it began. Or who began it.

Some will say that Jazz was born in 1895, when Buddy Bolden started his first band. Others will say 1917, when Nick LaRocca and his Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the first Jazz record, "Livery Stable Blues." Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton said, "It is evidently known, beyond contradiction, that New Orleans is the cradle of Jazz, and I myself happen to be the inventor in the year 1902." Jazz, of course, is not an invention. It's alive. It grows, it dies, it changes, it stays the same. Jazz is to American music what the Mississippi is to America, and just as many rivers feed into the Mississippi, music (and musicians) from many cultures came together in the creation of Jazz. And they came together in perhaps the only place in the world where it could have happened, a place where multi-culturalism was, and is, embedded in the fabric of everyday life: New Orleans. Possibly, the earliest noted use of African rhythms coupled with European "classical" music was "La Bomboula-Danse Negre" composed by Louis Moreau Gottschalk in 1847.

Gottschalk's father was a Jewish doctor who moved to New Orleans from England. His mother was French and a native New Orleanian. He grew up in the French Quarter, barely two blocks from Congo Square, which was the center of VooDoo drumming and dancing in New Orleans. More evidence of early Jazz was produced by Papa Jack Laine's band in New Orleans circa 1885 when it was noted that he played with a "ragged time," which meant the musicians were playing variations on the tempo to make it "swing." Irishman Papa Jack Laine's Reliance Brass Band was the training ground for many of the musicians, white, black and creole, who went on to pioneer Jazz in their own ensembles. Louis "Papa" Tio, a contemporary of Papa Jack Laine's, was a native New Orleanian of Mexican and Creole descent. He was a consummate clarinetist, and a consummate clarinet teacher as was his famous brother, Lorenzo Tio, Sr., and even more famous nephew, Lorenzo Tio, Jr. Together, the Tio family influenced a generation of young musicians, opening them up to syncopated Latin rhythms.

Papa Tio taught, among others, the great Sidney Bechet, and the Baquet brothers, Achille and George. George Baquet founded the Excelsior Brass Band, composed of black musicians. He also played with the creole-of-color bands, such as Manuel Perez's Imperial Orchestra and the Original Creole Orchestra. He worked with Buddy Bolden and recorded with Jelly Roll Morton. Achille Baquet was an excellent saxophonist as well as clarinetist. He played mainly with white bands: in New Orleans, with Papa Jack Laine's Reliance Brass Band, and in New York, with Jimmy Durante's Original New Orleans Jazz Band. Achille's choice to play music, passant blanc (passing for white), was not unusual for the time. Besides Achille on clarinet, Papa Jack Laine's band included Dave Perkins on trombone, another blue-eyed musician of black descent, who also played with Buddy Bolden. Although it's not certain if Bolden ever played with Laine, it's safe to say that he heard and was influenced by Laine, just as Laine was most likely influenced by Bolden.

Nick LaRocca played with Papa Jack Laine, as did all the members of his Original Dixieland Jazz Band. LaRocca's heritage was Sicilian. His father was a cornet player in Sicilian marching bands, which have, interestingly, the same instrumentation as New Orleans brass marching bands, and they also share the tradition of performing at funerals. It's both possible and probable that Nick LaRocca heard, and was influenced by Buddy Bolden, who had the most popular black band at the turn of the century. Willie G. "Bunk" Johnson, another early cornet player, claimed, "King Bolden and myself were the first men that began playing Jazz in the city of dear old New Orleans." And then along came the most famous of them all, Louis Armstrong, who had this to say in his autobiography, "The first great jazz orchestra was formed in New Orleans by a cornet player named Dominic James LaRocca. They called him "Nick" LaRocca.

His orchestra had only five pieces, but they were the hottest five pieces that had ever been known before." These are just some of the names of the progenitors of the Jazz idiom, but who really was the first to play Jazz? For all of the passionately-held theories, the only really accurate answer is New Orleans. Jazz wasn't born on a particular day, it was created over a period of time. It wasn't just one person or one race that was responsible for creating it. It was a meeting, and mixing, of the essences and emotions of many people, of many cultures. When circumstances are right and a variety of influences come together to create something special, when many flavors combine to make a new taste that is greater than the sum of its spices, we have a name for it down here: we call it gumbo. And just like Jazz, nobody makes gumbo like we make it in New Orleans. National Park in New Orleans Celebrates Jazz National Park in New Orleans Celebrates Jazz April 29, 2016 Big Sam, of Big Sam's Funky Nation, performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Saturday, April 23, 2016.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Share Copy and paste the embed code below. The code has been copied to your clipboard. 64 kbps | MP3 Pop-out player Our National Parks journey this week takes us to New Orleans, Louisiana, the city many consider to be the birthplace of jazz. New Orleans is a port city at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It holds one of the most famous cultural celebrations in America: The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival , called Jazz Fest for short. This year, the event opened April 22 and continues through May 1. It is the 47th festival. Famous performers this year include Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon. The first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival took place in 1970. That year, about 350 people attended the five-day celebration. Mahalia Jackson sings "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" to the beat of the Eureka Brass Band at the first New Orleans Jazz Festival on April 23, 1970. Five years later, about 80,000 people attended the festival. Today, attendance is measured in hundreds of thousands.

​The festival’s original organizers said the event “could only be held in New Orleans, because here and here alone is the richest music tradition in America.” And, only in New Orleans could you find a whole national park honoring jazz. Today, we are exploring the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park . The park includes sites important to jazz history in New Orleans. Visitors can walk around the city to see these sites. They include places located in the oldest part of the city -- the French Quarter -- as well as in the Louis Armstrong Park. Louis Armstrong is one of the greatest American jazz musicians. His voice, trumpet-playing skill and creativity continue to influence jazz artists today. Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Jazz was just beginning to develop when Louis was a boy. It grew out of the blues songs and ragtime music that had been popular at the turn of the century. VOA jazz broadcaster Willis Conover interviews the legendary Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong discovered music early in life. He was surrounded by it. By the time he was 18, he joined the Kid Ory Band, one of the finest bands in New Orleans.

In the 1920s, Armstrong moved on to Chicago, and then New York, which had become major centers of jazz music. The trumpeter soon became one of the most famous musicians of his time. In the 1930s, he had his own big band, called Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. But, his biggest hits came later in his life. In 1964, his version of the song “Hello Dolly” was the top hit around the world. And the song “What a Wonderful World,” recorded in 1968, was his final big hit. Louis Armstrong Armstrong died in 1971. In 1980, the city of New Orleans opened the Louis Armstrong Park to honor one of the city’s most famous sons. Among other sites, the park includes a statue of Armstrong himself and a place called Congo Square. Throughout history, the square had many names. Congo Square was once used as an area where slaves were permitted to perform African and Caribbean dances and drumming. The sounds played a role in the development of jazz. Today, the city holds the annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival there.

Another stop within the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park is the J&M Recording Studio. It lies just south of Louis Armstrong Park, on Rampart Street. The studio operated from 1945 to 1955. Cosimo Matassa , a recording engineer, was the owner of the studio. He recorded some of the greatest jazz and rhythm and blues artists of the time. Today, the spot is a laundromat. But a small sign on the building points out its important place in music history. Next, we visit the Mint. A mint is a place that produces coins. The Mint started out as a place where U.S. and Confederate currency was made. But today, the Mint is a famous performing arts center and a museum full of jazz history. That museum is the Louisiana State Museum. Here, visitors can see Louis Armstrong’s first cornet -- a brass instrument similar to a trumpet. He bought it in New Orleans when he was 15 years old. The National Park Service holds live educational performances at the Mint most days of the week. Many of those performances are streamed live online for viewers around the world to enjoy. ​Another park site is Preservation Hall , in the French Quarter.

The word “preservation” means keeping or protecting for the future. By the early 1960s, traditional New Orleans jazz music was in danger of disappearing. Young people wanted to hear the music of Elvis Presley and other rock and roll stars. Not many young people were interested in listening to jazz. The musicians of Preservation Hall entertain jazz fans in the French Quarter of New Orleans, May 12, 1964. In 1961, Allan and Sandra Jaffe began using a small, old building on St. Peter’s Street as a music hall. Musicians there played traditional New Orleans jazz, sometimes just for their own enjoyment. Allan Jaffe was a tuba player. He played with what became known as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band . The Jaffes created Preservation Hall to protect and preserve the city’s traditional jazz sounds. Today, different bands play at the hall each night. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band poses in the press room at the 58th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, on Feb. 15, 2016. Musicians also still play in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They play in concert halls around the United States.

They will even be playing on April 30 as part of this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Festival-goers cheer at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2015. I’m Ashley Thompson. And I’m Caty Weaver. Ashley Thompson wrote this report, with material from the VOA Learning English archives and the National Park Service. Hai Do was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Pinterest Louisiana Travel Nursing Jobs As a travel nurse in Louisiana, you can visit the birthplace of American jazz, indulge yourself with Cajun culinary delights, or explore the cultural center of New Orleans while making top pay and competitive benefits. For the latest job listings, be sure to call your recruiter at 800-884-8788. We offer many jobs that are not posted online — and we receive new openings around the clock!  What does it mean if you see Hot Job or $$$ next to one of our job listings?  Hot Job indicates fast starts; $$$ indicates higher than average compensation in that specialty.

Job Title » What to See and Do in Louisiana Traveling in Louisiana will give you the opportunity to experience Cajun culture at its best in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. Perhaps the most widely visited of the three cities, New Orleans will take you back to the birthplace of American jazz; on any given night, brass bands will heat up the stage with live performances in hot clubs across the French Quarter. During the day, be sure to pick up coffee and beignets at the famous Cafe Du Monde, located right next to the historic Jackson Square. Find RN Jobs in Louisiana Telemetry When you take on a travel assignment in Baton Rouge, hit a happy hour with your new coworkers to get a taste of a true southern speciality, cool Mint Juleps. In addition to crawfish boils and warm cognac, you’ll feel like a local after having breakfast at the historic Stockade Bed and Breakfast, which is a landmark from the Civil War. If you make the hour drive to visit Lafayette, you'll enjoy a university town alive with vibrant artists, delightful music, and delicious eateries.

Experience Music and Nawlins Eatin’ With an Assignment in Louisiana Travelers who schedule their Louisiana assignment in February will experience the ultimate festival in New Orleans: Mardi Gras. Whether you hop in the parade on Bourbon Street or watch from a distance, you will certainly relish the exciting traditions and deep cultural roots of this unforgettable celebration. When you listen to the unique sounds of brass bands in the birthplace of American jazz during any time of the year, be sure to taste some of Louisiana's specialities like King Cake, crawfish, and po-boys. Apply for Nursing Jobs in Louisiana In no time at all, you can be making new friends and learning new skills in Louisiana. We can't wait to get you on the road to a rewarding Louisiana travel nursing assignment! Louisiana - Map of Cities in LA - MapQuest {{::location.tagLine.value.text}} Sponsored Topics Flavorful food full of spice, soulful music and a grab-bag of cultures make Louisiana one of the most exciting and intriguing states to visit in the U.S. The Pelican State is divided into five regions: Greater New Orleans, Cajun Country, Plantation Country, Crossroads and Sportsman’s Paradise.

With such diversity both culturally and topographically, Louisiana is a tourist’s dream. New Orleans is a hotspot for the indulgent. Night owls belong on Bourbon Street, where the fun rarely, if ever, stops. The French Quarter enthralls history buffs with tales from the city’s oldest neighborhood and original settlement of New Orleans. Music lovers can immerse themselves in the “Birthplace of Jazz” along Frenchmen’s Street and visit the homes of jazz forefathers Jelly Roll Morton and Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. And there is nothing more synonymous with the Big Easy than Mardi Gras parades, complete with colorful costumes, plentiful beads and flowing libations. To the west of New Orleans lies Plantation Country, home to the state’s capital, Baton Rouge. Historians, beware: Systems may overload when exploring the homes along the storied River Road. If night falls too soon and accommodations are required, spend the evening at the haunted Myrtles Plantation, if you dare. Further to the west, Cajun Country allows visitors to dive into Louisiana’s bayous, though diving is not actually recommended.

If gumbo is on the menu, Cajun Country is the place to get the real deal before moving onto Crossroads, where the El Camino Real and Natchez Trace trails intersect. This central region is only the beginning of what Louisiana has to offer nature lovers. Throughout the Crossroads and into Louisiana’s northernmost Sportsman’s Paradise, visitors can experience nature in a myriad of ways, including hiking, bird watching and fishing. For a unique way to see Louisiana, golfers need look no further than the state’s fairways. Home to some of the most picturesque courses in the land, 12 ecologically-minded Audubon Golf Trails, which wind through all five of the state’s regions, provide golfers with a prime opportunity to enjoy some time on the links and take in all Louisiana has to offer. CITY OF NEW ORLEANS: quotes & news - Google Finance CITY OF NEW ORLEANS 1300 Perdido St Fl 2 New Orleans, LA 70112-2128 New Orleans is a city with a story. The city was founded in 1718 and became famous for its architecture, music, food, and parties.

The city is home to a major port, the New Orleans Saints, the French Quarter, and is the regarded as the birthplace of jazz. Devasted by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding which ensued in 2005, the city has undertaken a massive rebuilding and recovery effort utilizing state and federal assistance. The city of New Orleans is governed by a city council consising of seven members and an elected mayor.

Question: Which Louisiana port is regarded as the birthplace of jazz
Answer: New Orleans